150 GUIDE TO PRAYER. sence of men with holy confidence. -3. Labeur to attain this gift of prayer in a tolerable degree, and exercise it often in secret for some considerable time beforeyou begin in public. -4. Take heed that your heart be always well prepared, and let the matter of your prayer be well premeditated when you make your first public attempts of it. --5. Strive to maintain upon your soul a much greater awe of the majesty of that God to whom you speak, than of the opinions of those fellow- creatures with whom you worship ; that so you may, as it were, forget you are in the company óf men, while you address the Most High God. Chide your heart into courage, when you find it shy and sink- ing, and say; Dare I speak to the great and dreadful ,God, and shall I be afraid of f man. Now in order to practise this advice well the next shall be a-kin to it. -6. Be not too tender ofyour own reputation in these externals of religion. This softness of spirit, which we call bashfulness, has often a great deal of fondness for self mingled with it. When we are to speak in public, this enfeebles the mind, throws us into a hurry, andmakes us perform much worse than we do in secret. When we are satisfied therefore that we are engaged in present duty to GÓd, let us maintain a noble neg- ligence of the censures of men, and speak with the same courage as though none but God were present. Yet toadminister farther relief under this weakness, I add,-7. Make your first essays in the company of one or two either your inferiors, or your most intimate, most pious and candid acquaintance, that you may be under no fear nor concern about their sentiments of your per- formance. Or join yourself in society with some young chris- tians of equal standing, and set apart times for praying together, which is an excellent way to obtain the gift of prayer.-8. Dó not aim at length of prayer in your younger attempts, but rather be short ; offer up a few more common and necessary requests atfirst, and proceed by degrees to enlarge and fulfil the several parts of this worship, as farther occasion shall offer; and as your gifts and courage increase. -0. Be not discouraged if your first experiments be not so successful as you desire. Many a christian has in time arrived at a glorious gift in prayer, who in their younger essays have been overwhelmed with bashfulness and confusion. Let riot Satin prevail with you therefore to cast oft this practice; and your hope, at once, by such a temptation as this.-10. Make it the matter, of your earnest requests to God, that you maybe endowed with christian courage, with a holy libertyof speech, and freedom of utterance, which the blessed apostle Paul often prays for and you have reason to hope; that he that gives every good andperfect gift, will net deny you that Which' is so necessary to the pertormance,of your duty. I pro- ceed now to the fourth general direction
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